Rawlings-Blake believes the State’s Attorney gave in to political pressure.

Published September 29th

On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (above left) claimed State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby (above right) made a rushed decision in charging the six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. The mayor’s comments came after The New York Times published a profile on Mosby.

In the New York Times piece, Mosby discussed the unrest that occurred in Baltimore after the death of Gray and she also admitted to accusing the mayor for violent destruction that occurred during the protests.

“So I called the mayor, and I was livid,” Mosby said of her response to the continuing unrest in Baltimore. “I was like: ‘You know, this is ridiculous. You all have single-­handedly caused what’s happening in this city right now.’ I just screamed on her. But she was like: ‘Oh, no, I’m getting phone calls from the attorney general and the president’s office. They want to know — where’s the state’s attorney?’ I said: ‘That’s because you and your commissioner have set false expectations. You did this, not me. Not me.’ And I was like, ‘You know what else?’ I can’t remember what I said, but I hung up on her. And that was it.”

During a press conference on Wednesday, a reporter asked Rawlings-Blake about her response to Mosby’s admission. After thinking about the best way to address the question, the mayor eventually revealed the mistakes she felt Mosby made during the Freddie Gray case.

"The political pressure is real when you are in big jobs, and you can't bow to the political pressure and charge when you're not ready," Rawlings-Blake said. "You have to stand up, be in the big role and say to the people ... you need time to continue to investigate."

When Mosby decided to press charges against the officers, many people believed more investigation needed to occur. This year, three of the officers charged were acquitted and the remaining officers had their charges dropped.

"I cannot force her to use her best judgment and then decide how long to investigate and when to bring charges," Rawlings-Blake said. "She did that on her own."

A Baltimore spokesperson later denied the claim that the charges were pressed for political reasons.

"These charges were never politically motivated and have always been about the pursuit of justice for an innocent 25-year-old man who lost his life in the custody of the police," spokeswoman Rochelle Ritchie said.

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